Sanders
Single Malt Imbiber
Ring Failure 6/27/08
SCENARIO
102 degrees F in Western New Mexico and Oklahoma on 6-27-08. I could feel the heat from the oil cooler as I rolled down the road at 85-90 mph playing with the trip meters. When we stopped for the ST 1100's in the group that needed gas in Hugoton Ks., I got the dreaded EWS failure. 13,200 miles on the ticker, so I thought I was past that particular gremlin. BMW 24 hour assistance wanted to flat bed me back to Co. Springs. 287 miles away...the wrong way for me.
After about an hour I bought a bag of ice and laid it on the module and within five minutes the bike started.
It still took me two days and another 1k to get home. No problems after that one shocker, but I'm left wondering about that module sitting right there getting cooked by the oil cooler.
As for service bulletins, Hopkins Hitching Post in Mn was clueless and rude, according to my buddy who was dealing with them via his phone (while I was dealing with BMW Ass.). I realize Friday afternoon was about to turn into Friday evening for them, but clueless and rude is a bad combination.
Co. Springs BMW was extremely helpful, but powerless. I knew there was no workaround, but called to see anyway... So KUDO's to Larry in the service dept. I'll be calling him on Tues.
For a bike made to go to lots of out of the way places this is unacceptable. This piece of unneccesary bling is just a set for a failure.
Anyway I hope this might help someone else, who may be in the same boat.
Poor solder connections? No lead in the solder. Lots of theory's abound. I just remember BIG HEAT washing over the module for about 4 hours...
I'd really like to talk with a regional manager about "IF" they are going to solve this problem. I guess the first call is to the dealer...
Oh yeah, the newly installed fuel strip doesn't work worth a sheet either
Good Luck!
Sanders
P.S. On the positive side of all this, Don from Hugoton showed up at moments notice with a call from the BMW MOA Anonymous book. He was willing to hold the bike for me until I could arrange to pick it up. Which could have meant weeks.
On the negative side, one of the ST 1300's got a flat 5 miles out of town and I was forced to abandon the group, and run for Dodge City, as I was not going to shut down the GS. One of the guys deployed an umbrella, which I will be adding to my kit. Had to be nice working in the shade at 100F
The ST kept spitting out the stop and go gummy worms. The fellow with the umbrella had the red gummy's for auto's and after the third attempt with the blacks, they gave up and used the reds. First time and they took. He never lost any pressure after that. We stopped at an auto zone and bought more reds for the rest of the trip home.
SCENARIO
102 degrees F in Western New Mexico and Oklahoma on 6-27-08. I could feel the heat from the oil cooler as I rolled down the road at 85-90 mph playing with the trip meters. When we stopped for the ST 1100's in the group that needed gas in Hugoton Ks., I got the dreaded EWS failure. 13,200 miles on the ticker, so I thought I was past that particular gremlin. BMW 24 hour assistance wanted to flat bed me back to Co. Springs. 287 miles away...the wrong way for me.
After about an hour I bought a bag of ice and laid it on the module and within five minutes the bike started.
It still took me two days and another 1k to get home. No problems after that one shocker, but I'm left wondering about that module sitting right there getting cooked by the oil cooler.
As for service bulletins, Hopkins Hitching Post in Mn was clueless and rude, according to my buddy who was dealing with them via his phone (while I was dealing with BMW Ass.). I realize Friday afternoon was about to turn into Friday evening for them, but clueless and rude is a bad combination.
Co. Springs BMW was extremely helpful, but powerless. I knew there was no workaround, but called to see anyway... So KUDO's to Larry in the service dept. I'll be calling him on Tues.
For a bike made to go to lots of out of the way places this is unacceptable. This piece of unneccesary bling is just a set for a failure.
Anyway I hope this might help someone else, who may be in the same boat.
Poor solder connections? No lead in the solder. Lots of theory's abound. I just remember BIG HEAT washing over the module for about 4 hours...
I'd really like to talk with a regional manager about "IF" they are going to solve this problem. I guess the first call is to the dealer...
Oh yeah, the newly installed fuel strip doesn't work worth a sheet either
Good Luck!
Sanders
P.S. On the positive side of all this, Don from Hugoton showed up at moments notice with a call from the BMW MOA Anonymous book. He was willing to hold the bike for me until I could arrange to pick it up. Which could have meant weeks.
On the negative side, one of the ST 1300's got a flat 5 miles out of town and I was forced to abandon the group, and run for Dodge City, as I was not going to shut down the GS. One of the guys deployed an umbrella, which I will be adding to my kit. Had to be nice working in the shade at 100F
The ST kept spitting out the stop and go gummy worms. The fellow with the umbrella had the red gummy's for auto's and after the third attempt with the blacks, they gave up and used the reds. First time and they took. He never lost any pressure after that. We stopped at an auto zone and bought more reds for the rest of the trip home.
. That's working out just as well as your stand on EWS, but it sure doesn't make it any worse.
